A total of 3.6 million viewers tuned in to the season one finale of History Channel’s “Vikings,” making the series the No.1 new cable series of the year. The second season was greenlit mid-way through the first and will begin production this summer with a return date of 2014.

“I’ve got these hair extensions past my nipples and I’ve got tattoos all over my body and this big beard and a Scandinavian voice,” said Clive Standen, who plays Rollo in the series, which was created and written by Michael Hirst (of “The Tudors” and “Elizabeth”).

The 31-year-old Standen hails from Northern Ireland but came to the Journal offices in Beverly Hills to chat about the just-aired season finale, what’s next for his character (hint: he was inspired by Michael Fassbender’s character in “Shame”) and Barack Obama.

The Wall Street Journal: Where is Rollo going in Season 2?

Clive Standen: What I am hoping to do with Rollo is stay on the fence. There’s a lot going on behind his eyes, how he’s ticking. I do not think he is the finished product right now. He is rash. The Vikings believed that the day of your death and the length of your life was fated long ago so you can interpret that by being like Ragnar and being a bit cautious and planning and plotting. Rollo decides to interpret that in a hedonistic way which is “I have no control over when I’m going to die and I can just be a beast in battle and if I’m going to die I’ll die.” That’s the big quote from episode 2 and that’s where I say to Ragnar “you have your Odin and I have mine.”

How closely do you follow the actual historical Rollo?

A lot of his character is rooted in history. Rollo was a real guy who ended up being the Duke of Normandy and the great great great grandfather to William the Conqueror. He was a brilliant ruler. He converted to Christianity…[The French king] made him duke if [he] converted and if he agreed to protect the lands and sea from future raids of Vikings. When he died of old age, as he got ill he lined up 100 Christians and massacred them all. That was his way of going, “I’m still a pagan b—h.” He played the game and played it well.

At the end of season one, Rollo and Siggy have a very interesting exchange.

He is a battle-hardened warrior. He lives to raid and fight and he can be a good leader of men but he lacks that temperament. But that’s where Siggy is like the Lady Macbeth. I do think Rollo is quite intelligent but he does not see the bigger picture, he’s a hedonist. He rushes in and Siggy sees that and it’s almost like a marriage made in hell because she is going to manipulate him to her benefit and he needs her to rise up and be the man he wants to be but he doesn’t want to admit that. So they lock horns in a way.

Most of the series Rollo has been locking horns with Ragnar.

I think Rollo is getting a roller coaster ride from some of the viewers and some of the plot lines but at the end of the day he’s stuck in there with his brother even thought he’s got some jealousy issues. And Ragnar has put him in the shadows a little bit to go on this journey of this fame and fortune to figure out who he is and Rollo is there just waiting in the wings. Rollo stood in court when he could have taken everything the Earl would have given him and ended up with a dowry with the boat and he could have become Ragnar overnight but he didn’t. He stuck up for his brother to the extent that he could have given up where his brother was but instead he gets his face mutilated for his brother. And I ask, what has Rangar ever done for Rollo?

You’ve had “The Bible” as your lead-in show for much of season one. With season two you’re on your own.

You don’t have to make it fantasy, they believed in all these gods and serpents. If you don’t know and you think it’s this big fantasy show like “Game of Thrones” where some writer is just making all of this up inside of his head, it’s not. That’s what feels so special this is a show that shows someone’s culture and a belief system long forgotten. For instance, Vikings never screamed and shouted in battle. They didn’t charge in and use up all their energy before they clashed shields; that was considered cowardice. They would let out aggression when they clashed shields. The Vikings were like Navy SEALS. They were all farmers at home but they were ready with axes for battle all the time.

Did you look to anyone besides the historical Rollo in creating your character?

I was very interested in Michael Fassbender’s character in “Shame.” He does very questionable things but behind the eyes is a deep loneliness and a regret and a disgust in himself. It’s not always about being impulsive and not worrying about the consequences. You want to take it back but you’ve done it. It’s easier to just say “I’m pathetic” and make excuses for yourself. You can do it like Barack Obama and be the perfect specimen of a human being and do it the right way but you have other characters like Tony Soprano and Scarface who have the same fame and fortune but through a completely different avenue.

Where do you see season two picking up?

The show is about Ragnar right now, the first Viking, but there are other characters that are just as crazy and interesting. I think we’re looking into the history books and the gods themselves. We’ve touched on Thor and Odin. But I think it would be so amazing if people don’t just think of Thor as a marvel comic book character. They see him as the guy that looks after the crops and the everyman he’s not just the guy who slams his hammer and defeats frost giants.